A Rugged and In-depth Look at our Rapid Deployment Cabinet

A Rugged In-depth Look

at the Rapid Deployment Cabinet

RDCabinet CBRS Kit CR Logo

Integration, flexibility, and protection for your field communications assets.

Modern, deployable, wireless networking tech is capable of amazing things —if it can stand up to the environment in which it’s deployed. From electrical utilities to smart urban infrastructure, today’s wireless solutions power some of society’s most critical elements. While many of these networking solutions are built to take a beating and still deliver, it pays to have a rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosure that can withstand the most extreme environmental conditions. The tasks entrusted to your applications are essential; make sure to protect your investment with a rapid deployment cabinet that’s built to last. 

It Takes a Beating: the Rugged Outdoor Telecommunications Enclosure

rapid deployment cabinet, also known as a rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosure, is a durable, custom-made housing used to protect critical telecommunications, electrical and mechanical components from the elements. Telecommunications infrastructure is necessary for a wide range of critical functions including:

  • Utilities
  • Traffic lights
  • Oil and Gas Pipelines, wellheads
  • Wireless communications 
  • Billboards and public signage 
  • Emergency backup power

This list is only a cross-section. There are hundreds of unique mission critical communications applications that require protection from the harshest of elements. A rugged outdoor enclosure is designed to integrate these communications equipment and to shield them from the environment such as:

  • Rain 
  • Snow
  • Ice
  • Flooding 
  • Wind 
  • Humidity  
  • Dust and particulate 
  • Temperature extremes

A custom-made rapid deployment cabinet (RDC) is capable of withstanding the most challenging climates on earth while ensuring that the crucial elements within remain safe and functioning seamlessly. 

Rugged Exterior, Versatile Interior: Product Specifications

The rapid deployment cabinet gets its name from the ease of its installation. The rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosure comes equipped with a versatile mounting kit that allows for pole or wall mounting. Custom mounting options are also available depending on the end user’s application and overall project needs. The ease of installation makes a rugged telecommunications enclosure extremely scalable, adapting easily to the future growth of your infrastructure.

A rapid deployment cabinet is more than just a housing though.

While they come in a near-infinite amount of configurations, all base cabinets feature DIN rails for easy and versatile component mounting. Additionally, each unit is equipped with a battery management system capable of optimizing the life of your battery backup system. The battery management system enables seamless handoff in the case of a critical power failure and battery health information can be remote monitored at the end user’s discretion. This information will allow the end user to take a preventive battery maintenance approach.

The rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosure comes with a full complement of high-quality electrical specs to ensure compatibility with most of the rigorous applications. The RDC features:

  • 90-264VAC, 47 – 63Hz input power
  • 480W @48 or 24 VDC standard output power
  • 960W @48VDC optional output power
  • 240W/10A @24VDC secondary output power
  • 576 Wh capacity back up power 
  • Sealed lead acid battery bank
  • Optional lithium battery bank

In terms of durability, the rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosure lives up to its name. It can keep internal components fully operable in any type of climate with a temperature range of -40°C to +55°C and has an ingress protection rating of IP66, meaning the enclosure is completely impermeable to dust and pressurized water. 

The rugged outdoor housing also comes with a number of fail-safe protections including:

  • Electrical overload
  • Short circuit
  • Thermal protection
  • Input undervoltage lockout
  • Output overvoltage

The battery backup management system features a hitless transition, as well as overcurrent, deep discharge, and reverse polarity protections. 

The rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosure also comes equipped with numerous wireless communication features to help you monitor the critical components housed within. Each unit features a 5dBi Multi-band MIMO antenna for bands 694- 960 MHz, 1710-2170 MHz, and 3300-3800 MHz, as well as a measuring and reporting system to help you keep track of your application’s performance. When paired with the TELiG E1500, the monitoring system is capable of reporting:

  • Battery voltage level
  • Load current consumption
  • Enclosure temperature
  • Battery charging current
  • Battery Health information

Additionally, these cabinets are fitted with a door tamper switch that features messaging alerts.

Custom-built enclosures designed to meet most of your applications requirements

Custom-built enclosures are designed to meet most of your applications requirements, with minimal changes required which reduces the lead time.

The RDC comes in two standard sizes, each crafted from your choice of aluminum, carbon steel, or fiberglass. Basic sizing options include:

  • 26 in. x 16 in. x 10 in
  • 16 in. x 16 in. x 10 in
  • Custom-built enclosures specifically designed for your application

Outside the (Rugged) Box: Unique Applications

While RDC use is synonymous with electrical utilities like those listed above, we are living in an increasingly complex world powered in great part by the IoT, or internet of things. Given the rapid proliferation of new technologies, there’s an ever-expanding list of possible applications.  Even if your company doesn’t explicitly deal in traditional applications like those listed above, you might still benefit from a rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosure. It pays to think outside the box, so to speak. 

RDCs have found a home protecting all manner of automated sensors, from those that control traffic patterns, to those that power security systems. Automated sensors work so that people don’t have to, so they must be adequately protected from their environment. 

Applications that are deployed in marine environments face some of the most consistently challenging environmental conditions on earth. Between rapidly-forming storms, constant moisture, and corrosive salt, rugged enclosures are perfectly suited for the demands of maritime applications. 

We are experiencing a significant boom in the alternative energy sector. New technology built to harness renewable energy comes to market all the time. Renewable energy requires electrical infrastructure to capture its resource, infrastructure that is nakedly exposed to the elements. Rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosures are helping to move the renewable energy industry forward. 

Finally, rugged enclosures help provide protection for valuable, sensitive equipment used by scientists for research purposes. By its very nature, scientific discovery explores hazardous environments and situations in an attempt to better understand them. For advancement to be possible, sensitive scientific instruments must be safe and secure.

Our goal is to safely and reliably deliver electricity to millions of our customers. With the help of Council Rock, we successfully built and deployed over a thousand telecommunications enclosures with the panel layout and design needed to keep our components cool & dry in summer and warm in winter.
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Rugged Adaptability With CBRS Integration

Rugged outdoor telecommunications enclosures help to ensure the continued utility of sensitive electrical and mechanical equipment in the harshest of environments and climates. Council Rock now offers a CBRS starter kit which combines the durability of our RDC units with the cutting edge wireless communication of TELiG E1500 and Airspeed 1030 so you can ensure the integrity of your on-site applications while maintaining the room to grow and scale as future opportunity presents itself. For more information on our CBRS solutions please contact us at (800) 866-0347. 

Learn more about how the Rapid Deployment Cabinet provides power, battery backup, and full electrical protection.

Assembly of the Rapid Deployment Cabinet

The Rapid Deployment Cabinet is an outdoor enclosure for your network communication device, providing power, battery backup, and full electrical protection. Easily install your device and remote provision, monitor, and manage your network. Standard design or customize to your unique specifications. See how we build them.

Todd Owen, VP Sales

Todd Owen, VP Sales

Responsible for all aspects of sales, marketing, customer engagement, and service. Todd has several decades in industrial automation. Contact Todd directly for pricing.

Todd Owen, VP Sales

Todd Owen, VP Sales

Responsible for all aspects of sales, marketing, customer engagement, and service. Todd has several decades in industrial automation. Contact Todd directly for pricing.

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